Officer Enforcing Leash Law Shoots Family’s Dog, Witness Horrified.

by Mr. Charrington on September 12, 2012

A St. Louis, Michigan police officer intent on enforcing a mandatory leash law repeatedly shot a family’s dog as a neighbor watched in horror.

Via WNEM:

Walmsley says she was outside playing with her own dog when her neighbor’s golden retriever, Scout, ran over into her yard. She says she called the dog over to play, which Scout did, and then Scout ran back over back into his own yard. That’s when Walmsley says a police officer showed up.

Walmsley said the officer asked if the was dog hers. She said “no,” but told the officer Scout wasn’t dangerous. She says the officer tried to catch the dog, who apparently didn’t want to be caught. The dog tried to run away and when cornered by the officer, let out a little growl. Walmsley says she couldn’t believe what happened next.

“I heard ‘pop pop pop pop pop,’ and I thought, ‘what is going on,’ and I [saw] the St. Louis Police Department standing over my dog,” said Scout’s owner.

“He just started shooting him, he just kept shooting him in the head,” said Walmsley. “I said, ‘What are you doing? He’s just a puppy!’”

The dog was taken to the vet were it later died.

The witness says the officer wasn’t provoked and she doesn’t feel his reaction was warranted. Scout’s owners were inside their house during the incident.

The police chief says the shooting was justified because the officer “felt threatened.”

That the dog was the one being threatened and was merely acting in self-defense I guess is in no way relevant.